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A General Survey of Religious Concepts and Art of North, East, South, and West Africa

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A General Survey of Religious Concepts and Art of North, East, South, and West Africa DOCUMENT RESUME ED 369 692 SO 023 792 AUTHOR Stewart, Rohn TITLE A General Survey of Religious Concepts and Art of North, East, South, and West Africa. PUB DATE Jun 92 NOTE llp.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Art Education Association (Kansas City, KS, 1990). AVAILABLE FROMRohn Stewart, 3533 Pleasant Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408 ($3). PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) Speeches/Conference Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Area Studies; *Art; *Art Education; *Cultural Background; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Interdisciplinary Approach; Multicultural Education; *Religion; *Religious Cultural Groups IDENTIFIERS *Africa ABSTRACT This paper, a summary of a multi-carousel slide presentation, reviews literature on the cultures, religions, and art of African people. Before focusing on West Africa, highlights of the lifestyles, religions, and icons of non-maskmaking cultures of North, West and South African people are presented. Clarification of West African religious concepts of God, spirits, and magic and an examination of the forms and functions of ceremonial headgear (masks, helmets, and headpieces) and religious statues (ancestral figures, reliquaries, shrine figures, spirit statues, and fetishes) are made. An explanation of subject matter, styles, design principles, aesthetic concepts and criteria for criticism are presented in cultural context. Numerous examples illustrated similarities and differences in the world views of West African people and European Americans. The paper closes with a description of the influence of West African art on the art of Europe and Americas, and a listing of African-American artists who produce works in an Afro-centric genre. Western derivatives of African art listed include cubism and intellectual primitivism, emotional primitivism, subconscious primitivism, romantic primitivism, the child cult, primitivism in modern art, Dada, surrealism, expressionism and abstract expressionism, action painting, environmental art, Naif art, and the art of many listed artists in the Afro-centric area and in naive, visionary, intuitive, and folk art. A 16-item bibliography is included. (DK) ***id *************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. *********************************************************************** A General Survey of Religious Concepts and Artof North, East, South and West Africa Rohn Stewart, Art Education Consultant Minneapolis, MN U.S. DEPARTMENT OP EDUCATION Deco ot Erkr.abonal Roomed, and impro.orroot EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION - CENTER (ERIC) pous document has been reproduced as coved from Mt person Os ocoanasbon (my rating it 0 Minor changes have been made to onorpvi roprOduction ouablv Porntsol rOworopinions staled in this docu most c1.1 not nocouarilv fsOrpulnt Official OEM Positron or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS M RIAL HAS PEEN GRANTED BY ,_5"ft u-5 A Er TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERICI 2 A General Survey of Religious Concepts and Art of North, East, South and West Africa Rohn Stewart, Art Education Consultant Minneapolis, MN Abstract This paper is a summary of a multi-carousel slide presentation made at the National Art Education Association conference in Kansas City, 1990. It reviews literature on the cultures, religions and art of African people. Before focusing on West Africa, the paper highlights the life styles, religions and icons of non- maskmak ing cultures of North, West and South African people. Next it clarifies West African religious concepts of god, spirits, and magic; then examines the forms and functions of ceremonial headgear (masks, helmets and headpieces) and religious statues (ancestral figures, reliquaries, shrine figures, spirit statues and fetishes). An explanation of subject matter, styles, design principles, aesthetic concepts and criteria for criticism are presented in cultural context. Numerous examples illustrated similarities and differences in the world views of West African people and European-Americans. The paper closes with a description of the influence of West African art on the art of Europeans and Americans, and a listing of African-American artists who produce works in an Afro-centric genre. North Africa Life Style: Urban dwellers, peasant farmers and nomads; Non-maskmaking cultures Religion: Moslem. The Islamic religion dates from the 7th century, when Muhammad articulated Gabriel's revelations of Alle/i(the one universal God).In Arabic, Islam means submitting, and Moslem means true believer. From its origin on the Arabian peninsula, the Islamic faith has spread around the world. Today, there are more than 800 million people that are Moslems. They include people of different races, nationalities and ethnic groups. The Koran (sacred book) proscribes how Moslems are to behave toward God and fellow human beings.It forms the basis for moral codes and secular laws. Every aspect of family life is governed by the Sharia(Islamic law) and Hadiths(traditions). Countries where the Islamic religion is practiced by the majority of their people are governed by Islamic law. There are five pillars of the faith :1) Profession of Faith, "There is no deity but God and Muhammad was his profit ";2) prayer five times per day; 3) fasting during daylight hours during the month ofRamadon;4) giving to the poor; and 5) pilgrimage to Mecca. 3 Motifs: The Islamic religion is oppose to idols and idolatry; therefore, artists and craftpersons avoid representing animals and humans in religious art. Religious artistry is pursed through ornamenting and decorating the surfaces of architecture and utilitarian objects with geometric patterns, floral patterns, calligraphy, and arabesque motifs. Principles of Design: intricate patterns based on symmetries, overlapping, rotation, reflection, reversals, regularities in number theories, geometry and logic. Iconographic Interpretation: An expression of the the unseen organizational structures, patterns and laws inherent in the universe; and a reminder of humans enduring relationship with the cosmos and Allah (God). East Africa LifeStyle: Urban dwellers, subsistence farmers andtraditionalnomadic herdsman; Non-maskmaking cultures Religion: Moslem. Islam has never supplanted the ancient religions of this region.It co-exist with a host of traditional religious belief and customs. A majority of Ethiopians, however, are Coptic Christians or Jews. Mott Ts: As In North African Islamic art, artistry in East Africa is expressed through creation and decoration of utilitarian objects and jewelry with geometric patterns. However, some people such the Makonde and Akamba carve souvenir statues that depict the process of changing from one form to another (e.g. human to spirit and vice versa), and other mystical aspects of life. Iconographic Interpretation: Makonde and Akamba spirit statues represent transmutation, the continuity and flow of spiritual energy from inside out and outside in. South Africa Life Style: Urban dwellers and subsistence farmers; Non mask-making cultures. Religion: A majority are Christians; Motifs & Interpretation: Contemporary Black South African artists blend African and European concepts and conventions. Much of the ideology expressed in 4 art is associated with preservation of African traditions; and oppression, injustices and liberation from white rule. West Africa Life Style: Urban dwellers and subsiste,,ce farmers. During the 16th Century, West African communities supported themselves through fishing, farming, hunting and gathering. Kingdoms, chiefdoms and villages (led by headmen and elders) were governed by strong emotional associations with the wisdom of ancestors. The knowledge and skills of their forebears was passed orally from generation to generation because they had no written language. Europeans described Africans as being in the first, primary or primitive stage of cultural development, that is in a state prior to development a written language. Societies that had written languages were called "civilized". Since that time the term "primitive" has been applied pejoratively and wrongly to all the social customs, religions, rituals, rites, traditions, architecture, technology and arts of both historic and contemporary African, Pacific Island, Austrian Aboriginal and Amerindian cultures. It no longer conveys the original meaning. Now it has the negative connotation of meaning basic, backward, crude, naive and unsophisticated. Religions Islam, Christianity and a host of non-holyland traditional religions co-exist in West Africa. Although the Islamic religion has been a major factor in the culture of the this region since the 11th centuryand is currently professed by 50% of the people it has never supplanted ancient religions, customs and belief systems. God In traditional West African religions, God Is the source of all cosmological "University Energy," but not a personified deity as conceived of by Jews, Christians and Moslems. This "Universal Energy," ashe In Yoruba, Is present in natural forces and inanimate materials (metal, stone, water and objects such tools), as well as in all animated life forms (humans, animals and plants). In addition, both animate and inanimate matter have a force Wale, (living force). Force Vitale is the belief that all things possess or are associated with non- material spirits that have their own thoughts and wills. (Scholars have abandoned the use of the term Animism to describe African
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